The two entries that follow were written this afternoon during a big old Thunderstorm. We’ve been without power for about 4 hours . . . and it’s like 52 degrees, and it’s even been raining with thunder for most of the day.
So all of us here in Los Angeles dug our battery-powered TVs out of the earthquake kit in the garage so we could watch TEAM WEATHER as they kept constant vigil on STORM WATCH!!!1 with SUPER DOPPLER RADAR 5000 all afternoon.
Anyhow, the power just came back on, so I have Internet again. It’s been a terrifying few hours, but somehow we managed to get by, here in the City of Angels.

Remember your favorite day of the week when you were a kid? For some, it was Friday, because that was the end of school for the week. Others chose Saturday, because it brought a seemingly endless parade of morning cartoons. In my entire childhood, I never once met someone who had any of the remaining five days as their favorite . . . but I’m sure there was some egghead who couldn’t wait for Monday to roll around so he could get around to screwing up the curve for the rest of us in school.
Saturdays were always my favorite, because of the cartoons, unless it was a Friday that my brother and sister and I were spending with Aunt Val — that meant sugar cereal, Love Boat, and Fantasy Island.. Many have pointed out that those shows were on Saturday, not Friday. I blame my memory lapse on the secondhand smoke that always billowed out of my parent’s den on . . . Fridays? Saturdays? I don’t remember. Now I need to eat some chips.
So it remained until just a few months ago, when Wednesdays became my favorite day of the week . . . because Wednesday is Spend The Day With My Wife Day.
I love it that we set a day aside for each other each week. I love it even more that we both have jobs that allow us to it!
We always make the most of our day together, too. We’ve been to the Huntington Library, on long hikes up to Henninger Flats, and down to the beach. We’ve just hung out at home and cleaned the house together, or walked the dogs around the neighborhood.
Today, we had breakfast together, and caught the first showing of Pieces of April over at the Laemmle near Lake. It’s a truly wonderful movie, and I hope that it’s a breakout for Katie Holmes. She’s such a fantastic actor, she should be in more serious movies. I hope Hollywood is paying attention to her.
After the movie, we had time for coffee and some gingerbread before we picked up Nolan from school, who proudly showed us that he scored 104% on his math test.
Wednesdays rule.

This is not the weblog entry I sat down to write . . . but the rain is so cool right now, I just needed to mark this moment.
Earlier today, while I waited for Anne, I sat in my car and looked up at the clouds through my sun roof. It was the coolest thing to see these huge, cheerful, fluffy white clouds moving one way while dark, brooding, grey clouds behind them moved the other way. Occasionally, they’d cross each other at just the right moment, and a little blue sky would peek out.
Right now, an incredibly angry (for Pasadena) thunderstorm is raging over the mountains. It’s just recently begun falling over our house, and each thunderclap is accompanied by —
Holy fuck. Thunder so loud the whole house just shook. It was concussive, like someone was launching artillery shells. Riley raced under the table, and Ferris just looked up at the window, head cocked to one side like, “What was that?”
Anyway, each time there’s a thunderclap (except the most recent, too big, I guess) a murder of crows that hangs out in the tree behind our house takes to the air, and circles around for a moment before they return. They are black spots against the greenish-grey sky.
The last time they took flight, I watched them swirl around the sky above my house, and I wondered, wistfully . . .
Why the hell didn’t I clean out my gutters when I had the chance?
WOAH!
Okay, that blast of thunder was bigger than the one before, and it’s still rolling across the sky while I type this.
And the power just went out. Good thing I’m composing this on my iBook!
Hold on. I gotta light some candles. It’s totally dark in my house.
Okay, the only candles I have are those smelly ones from Yankee Candle Company, so the house, while adequately lit, is this nauseating melange of Cotton, Pumpkin Pie, Cool Citrus and Basil, Midnight Rain (whatever the hell that is) and Ocean Breezes.
Yuck. Maybe I’ll just sit in the dark.

I have often thought that if those who start wars had to fight in them, we’d live in a much more peaceful world.
Today, I honor everyone who has served, or is currently serving in the armed forces. Thank you for your sacrifice.